Brotherhood: Identities
by MarvelHero1610
Summary: Two years after the events of Parenthood, the sons of Sasuke attempt to survive in a changing world where their heritage makes them targets in more ways than one and the challenges of shinobi life cause them to question who they are and what they may become...
1. Growing Pains

**A/N: Hello, hello! Old readers and new ones! Thanks for clicking on my story. As the summary said, this is a sequel to my previous story, _Parenthood_, which I feel is required reading. So, if you haven't already, please go check it out. As always, please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter and the ones to come. Things I can do better, things you really liked, etc. With all of that out of the way, please enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Have you unpacked your bags yet?" Sosei looked towards the kitchenette in the hotel room and sighed. <em>

_"No," he replied. "What's the point? The Hokage's going to send us away tomorrow anyway." Sosei's mother came to him and smiled. Her hand caressed his cheek and her lips touched his forehead. Sosei shuddered and pulled away and his mother narrowed her eyes before she laughed._

_"Just trust me," she said with a smile. "I know the Hokage and even if he does send me away, he won't do that to you. I believe he recognizes that you need to be with your father." Sosei shook his head. He didn't think so. When his father had initially seen him, his face had been far from welcoming. In fact, the man looked absolutely disgusted to see Sosei and his mother. Not besides the fact that the Hokage had placed them in a hotel room, guarded by ANBU Black Ops. It felt like they were being kept prisoner and it made the young boy uneasy._

_The teenager shrugged. "You know him better than I do," he said. His mother paused at that and seemed to ponder on Sosei's words. Finally, the red-haired woman smiled at Sosei._

_"Maybe. He is rather hard to read," she replied. Sosei's mother than folded her arms. "Anyway, do what I tell you. Get those bags unpacked." Sosei frowned and shrugged._

_"Fine," he said. His mother left and Sosei began to unzip his bag. The only things his mother had allowed him to take were his most generic clothes. His Kiri flak jacket and headband had been left in his room. They had left his uncle Suigetsu and his play-cousin, Setsuka behind. His mother's reasoning for their leaving had only been that she wanted him to meet his father but her urgency made Sosei suspicious and nervous. _

_But what was the real reason they had left and why had they left so much? Sosei's mother had told Sosei enough about his father for him to make general assumptions. Sasuke Uchiha was a powerful man, probably the strongest shinobi in the entire world, but he never really cared enough about Sosei's mother to stay with her. He was a rough and coldhearted killer that could slaughter armies in minutes. Sosei had expected to see a monstrous man, daubed in battle scars. Instead, he found a man who's only hardened features were his eyes._

_Sosei wanted to know more about him than his mother had told him. There was something about this Sasuke Uchiha that seemed to be more than simply a powerful shinobi and killer. There was a connection that Sosei felt to him that he didn't feel with his mother._

_Sosei's ears perked as he heard something break outside of his room. He leapt to his feet when he heard his mother scream. The young boy ran outside of the room and his eyes widened. Two Konoha shinobi were inside the room and one of them had his mother by the throat. Her red eyes glanced over to him and she mouthed something. _

_Run._

_Sosei didn't and the other Konoha shinobi grabbed Sosei by his collar and threw him to the ground. The boy's movements were restricted. All he could do was look up as one of the Konoha shinobi held a kunai to his mother's throat. A kunai that looked exactly like a Kiri kunai._

_"What the hell are you doing?! Stop!" Sosei yelled. That earned him a punch to the head._

_"Shut the fuck up," the shinobi that held him said. "You're next." Sosei's mother looked down at him and then she frowned at her assailant. Her legs went up and she kicked the man in his stomach. Her next blow went to the man's face. The man that held Sosei threw him against the wall and crossed the floor to his mother. Sosei only heard his mother gasp and the blade thump twice into her chest. _

_When Sosei looked up, his mother fell to the ground and her glasses cracked against the floor. Her murderer stood over her and what looked to be a metal tube slid from underneath his shirt sleeve. Sosei's eyes widened and it seemed as if his brain had completely shut itself off and the world went pitch black._

_Then, something exploded inside of his head._

_A surge of chakra burst in Sosei's skull and the young boy yelled as pain from his loss overtook him. The chakra release caused the two men to stare at him. When they saw the look in his eyes, they shook. The world looked different to Sosei. Everything appeared clearer. He could see more. Specifically, the kunai that slid from the shinobi's pouch._

_Sosei leapt forward and kicked the man in the back of his knee and then drove his elbow into the bridge of his nose. He snatched the kunai from his hand and with two slashes, spilled the man's blood onto the carpet. The next shinobi ran towards Sosei and the boy ducked under his swing. In his blind rage, Sosei threw himself into the man's chest, kunai first and began to jab his blade into his stomach, piercing his flak jacket and shirt. _

_Sosei didn't stop._

_Blood spurted onto his hands._

_Sosei didn't stop._

_The man's body went limp._

_Sosei didn't stop._

_A powerful hand grabbed Sosei and lifted him into the air. The boy turned to see the angered Sharingan eyes of the demon. His father._

_Sosei stopped._

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><p>Sosei Uchiha rose from his bed, panting and covered in sweat. His eyes ripped across the room, searching desperately for any assailants that may have infiltrated his room. But there was no one there. The young Uchiha's hand went to his face as he wiped it clear of sweat. Even after two years, the nightmares hadn't stopped.<p>

If there had been one drawback that Sosei had noted with the Sharingan, it was that his eyes kept images burned into his brain. Nothing escaped. Nothing was lost. Even if he just wanted a reprieve long enough for him to obtain peaceful sleep.

Sosei's eyes glanced towards his clock as he tried to calm his breathing. It was 3:55 AM. His team was meeting in an hour and five. The eldest of Sasuke's children got up from his bed and grabbed his towel from the rack on his door. Sosei crossed the hallway to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Usually, he'd take a cold shower to jumpstart his system but his nightmare had done enough on that front. Instead, Sosei let the hot water run over his body and calm him.

After washing himself with scentless soaps, Sosei stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. The young Uchiha brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth out with water until the scent on his breath was gone. His stomach gurgled but his hunger would have to wait to sated completed. When he entered his room, Sosei popped in a food pill to at the very least fool his body into thinking he had eaten.

Sosei garbed himself in black pants and sandals before putting on a sleeveless black shirt and strapping a sword to his back. A porcelain bird mask hung in front of his closet and Sosei grabbed that up as well. The young Uchiha closed the door behind him and activated his Sharingan. He attached his mask to his belt and in a flash of black, he left his home behind.

The open field appeared below Sosei as he landed in the midst. The young Uchiha dipped his head as he saw his superior. "Captain Komuji," he said. The silver-haired son of the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake casually waved at Sosei.

"Yo," Komuji replied. "You're first to show up as always." Sosei nodded and glanced around. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon. The Uchiha folded his arms.

"Is today's assignment something that all ears have to hear? Or…" Komuji chuckled.

"It's nothing new, really. Just rounding up the last few stragglers. I'll give specifics when everyone arrives," the silver-haired young man replied.

"Ah," Sosei nodded. The "stragglers" Komuji referred to were the remaining followers of Yashin that had been on the run since their attack on Konoha. The Hokage had declared his intention to help reestablish Kirigakure as a village with the help of the Water Daimyō and offered pardons for any Kiri shinobi that were involved in the invasion. Some idiots had been foolish enough to refuse his offer and continued to perform terrorist attacks around the Land of Fire. For the last year that Sosei had been a member of Konoha's ANBU Black Ops, he had been hunting down and killing everyone that refused to surrender. He supposed that the objective hadn't changed.

Within a few minutes, two more ANBU members of Team Hae descended into the field. The female of the duo sighed and laughed.

"Sorry, Captain Komuji! I overslept," the girl said. Sosei scoffed.

"Again." The girl turned and smiled at the young Uchiha.

"Good morning, Sosei! How are you?" she asked. Sosei rolled his eyes and frowned. Suzume Hishou was probably one of the most annoying people Sosei had ever met in his life. Though she was two years the Uchiha's senior, she behaved in a way that Sosei expected to come from a child Hikari's age. Despite this, Sosei had begrudgingly accepted that she was a skilled kunoichi in her own right, despite her incessant tardiness.

"I'd be better if we didn't have to wait for you every time we had a mission," he replied. The girl gawked and then pointed at the man behind her, Noboru Hyūga. The brown-haired man stood in silence as Suzume pointed her finger accusingly.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one late getting here!" The Hyūga clansman opened his pale eyes and in a stiff, stoic tone, spoke.

"You asked me to wait for you to be ready." Suzume flushed red and laughed sheepishly. Sosei was about to speak again before Komuji stood to his feet and sighed.

"All right, you three." The young man pulled a kunai from his pouch. "Now that you're all here, we can go ahead and get this mission finished." Komuji knelt to the ground and began to draw. Sosei watched his hand strokes and realized that he was a drawing the border between the Land of Fire and Kusagakure. Komuji drew an "x" far inland. "We've received reports of the remaining followers of Yashin holding up just outside of borders near the sea. The Hokage has someone coming from the Land of Water, a messenger from the daimyō. Whether Yashin's intend to attack the emissary or not, we aren't sure. But the plan is to perform a preemptive strike and stop them."

Sosei shrugged. "Sounds simple enough," the young Uchiha said. Komuji nodded.

"Except," he started. "The last remaining shinobi are amongst Yashin's highest ranked officers, one of them being Agato of the Fist…or Agato the Troll, depending upon who you ask." The Hatake sighed. "So this won't be a simple assassination. It may devolve into an all-out brawl." Komuji stood and placed his porcelain mask on. "If that does happen, just follow my lead and your instincts. Hopefully, we'll be home before the sun falls."

Suzume grinned and placed her mask on. "_Ikou_!" she said. Noboru placed his mask on and Sosei followed him. When everyone had disguised themselves, Komuji leapt into the air and led them out. The Hatake took point, while Noboru held to the back and Suzume and Sosei took to either side. Sosei Uchiha's mind departed as Konoha was left behind him and the open forest expanded ahead of him.

His nightmares flashed into his head. His mother dead in front of him. His father's Sharingan. Even Yashin nearly killing him in the middle of the lake. Perhaps now with the last remnants of Yashin's forces being pursued, Sosei hoped he could finally put those old demons to rest.

But optimism was never part of the Uchiha ideology.

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><p>Takuma's mouth parted as he yawned and stretched his arms into the air. It was exceptionally early, about 5:00 AM. The young Uchiha knew that he was probably the only one up in the house. Sosei had told him about his ANBU mission. He should've been already gone which meant that Takuma could practice his jutsu, unbothered. Takuma rolled out of bed and placed his sandals on. It wasn't necessarily that Sosei interfered with his training. It was much to the contrary. At times, Takuma's elder brother would help him, pointing out areas in his technique that he needed to improve on and then showing him exactly how he should improve. Takuma appreciated that and it had made him a better shinobi.<p>

Takuma just didn't like Sosei.

The young Uchiha had tried to accept him. For the past two years, he has tried to accept the fact that his father had had another child with another woman, but the thought never sat well with him. Takuma had such a paragon image of his father, a hero. An upstanding and honest man, despite the supposed evil he had done in the past. Sasuke Uchiha was the shinobi and man that Takuma had wanted to be. But now, he was unsure. Sosei's presence had ruined Takuma's vision of his father. But, everyone else had seemed to accept him as if he was family. Kichiro loved Sosei to death, idolizing every step that he took. Even Hikari had gotten close to him. Takuma was the only one that didn't care for him.

It didn't matter to him that Sosei could potentially be named the heir to the Uchiha clan's fortune. Times were modernizing and being head of a shinobi family didn't really have all the perks it would've had in years past. Takuma only wondered how his father truly felt about him. Sasuke had never treated Takuma differently once Sosei arrived. They still spent their time together outside of Takuma's genin missions. But, Takuma couldn't help but feel like his father had grown much more proud of Sosei's accomplishments.

In the last two years, Takuma's brother had accomplished a great many things. His involvement in defending Konoha from Yashin's invading force had caused him to be promoted to chunin and after that, his numerous successes on high profile missions caught the Hokage's interest. When he was fifteen, Sosei had been assigned to an ANBU team under the leadership of Komuji Hatake, the son of the famed Copy Cat Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke had been proud, beaming with a glow that Takuma hadn't seen since he had graduated at the top of his class at the Academy.

_Am I jealous of him? _Takuma thought as he spewed grand fireballs across the lakefront in quick succession. _Is that why I don't want him here? _Maybe it was that. Sosei's power had gained him recognition in the short time he had been here. People talked of him in the streets. Girls, civilian and shinobi alike, adored him. Even older shinobi were impressed by Sosei. Sosei had everything he wanted...even the Sharingan.

Takuma had tried to find ways for years to activate the dojutsu famed by his clan. But to no avail. He had felt chakra bursts in his body that usually ended with him having headaches, but he had never felt even close to activating it. He had read in the Uchiha clan histories that his father kept about Uchiha who had never activated their Sharingan. Most of them had been either killed as children during wartimes or Uchiha women that had become housewives. Takuma didn't want to be in that position in the history of his clan. He wanted to be a Uchiha and for that, he needed to awaken his Sharingan.

Takuma let loose another grand fireball before he felt himself feel a bit gassed out. The Uchiha panted softly and wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over the lake. The way the sun shined over the water, it looked like the earth was firing its own fire jutsu back at him. It was an incredible sight...

"I counted seven fireballs," a voice called from behind Takuma. The Uchiha turned to see his father standing in front of the glass door to the backyard with his arms folded. "Is that your limit?" Takuma weighed the question like he did most things his father asked him. He didn't want to appear weak. He couldn't afford that. But if he answered too haughtily, his father would surely test him. The truth was the best route.

"Yes, sir," Takuma replied. "I've expanded my limit, though. It was five last month." Sasuke nodded approvingly and his lip curled slightly.

"I remember," he said before unfolding his arms and placing a hand into his pocket. "Well, come on in the house and shower. We're going to be going on a mission today." Takuma perked his ears.

"Ok," he said. He hoped that this so-called "mission" wasn't another low-level genin mission like pulling up weeds or chasing lost pets. When he had just become a genin, Takuma thought that those civil missions were exciting even if they were a tad anticlimactic. Now, at thirteen, Takuma had grown extremely antsy. He and the rest of his team were old enough to register for Konoha's Chunin Exams but he hadn't gone on a _real _mission yet.

Sasuke raised his head and tipped it towards the house before he turned and walked back inside. Takuma quickly followed his father. Sasuke Uchiha stood in the kitchen and turned slowly when Takuma entered. A blue and white pill left his hand and Takuma caught it. Chakra regeneration. That meant that the mission required him to be on alert. Takuma's green eyes shot up to his father, but when he looked for him, he was gone.

Takuma raced to the shower and made it short but efficient, scrubbing away at every part of his body until he smelled and felt clean and then ran to his room. The young Uchiha slipped into his black high-collar shirt, white shorts, and black sandals. Takuma stood in front of the mirror and looked himself over before tying his headband around his forehead and dipping his head. The Uchiha boy placed a pouch full of weapons on his belt and headed out of his room. The rest of his family was still asleep. His mother would probably wake up later on to get Kichiro and Hikari up for school before she headed to the hospital.

Takuma went to Kichiro's bed and smiled at his younger brother, before he left to meet Sasuke on the porch. His father stood outside with his green Konoha flak jacket with short black sleeves, the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the shoulders. His black arm guards stretched from his bicep to his knuckles and his famous chokuto strapped on his side. When Sasuke turned to Takuma, the boy could see that his father looked like he had been a little lost in thought.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked. Takuma nodded and the two Uchiha headed out. Walking next to his father, Takuma felt absolutely safe. The power he felt in every step that the man took sent chills up the boy's spine. This was his father? The legendary Sasuke Uchiha. Sometimes, Takuma scarcely believed it. He felt a tad jealous that Sosei had gotten to see his father flex his power against Yashin. It must've been a sight to see.

Takuma's thoughts came back to the present and he looked up at his father. "Are Honami and Shōgo meeting us at the Hokage's office?" he asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Honami will be there. We're going to get Shōgo now," Sasuke replied. Takuma nodded and the two walked in silence through the streets of Konoha. Shōgo's house lied in the Isei District of the village, to the west. It was heavily populated area where most of the civilians lived. Takuma had never really ventured to this area before except when he and Honami came to see if Shōgo wanted to go out with them. When the two Uchiha got to Shōgo's row home, Sasuke stepped forward and knocked on the door. The door opened a few moments later and a middle-aged woman opened the door. Her face flushed red when she saw Sasuke and she immediately cleared her throat.

"Uh, Mr. Uchiha..." she said. Sasuke maintained his cool, unflinching face and spoke.

"Hello, Ms. Kazuma. Is Shōgo ready?" the Uchiha asked. Before Ms. Kazuma could answer, Takuma heard Shōgo's voice shout from inside of the house.

"Yes, sensei! I'm coming!" Takuma smiled as he watched his friend run down the hall and stand next to his mother. Ms. Kazuma looked over at her son and then sighed softly before wrapping her arms around him.

"Please be safe, sweetheart," she said. Shōgo narrowed his eyes and pouted out of embarrassment but still hugged his mother back.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he replied before turning to Takuma and Sasuke. Shōgo raised his thumb and grinned. "Let's go! It's mission time!" he said as he leapt down the steps. Sasuke watched him and glanced over Takuma as if to say, _Never do that_.

"So, what's the mission?" Shōgo asked Takuma as the two walked behind Sasuke towards the Hokage mansion. Takuma shrugged.

"I don't know. Sensei didn't tell me," he replied. Shōgo put his hands behind his head and gazed up into the sky.

"I hate surprises."

The partially completed Team Sasuke entered the Academy building and headed straight for the administrative section where the Hokage's office was located. As they rounded the corner, Takuma's eyes caught sight of red hair and his heart immediately jumped in his chest. Before he heard her greet them, Takuma knew who it was.

"Sasuke sensei! Shōgo!" she said. When Takuma's green eyes met with the pale pools of the red-haired girl, both genin smiled. "Takuma," she said. The young Uchiha couldn't help but smile. Honami Uzumaki was Takuma's closest friend and the girl he had a crush on for years. In the past two of those years, Honami had matured greatly, growing her vibrant red hair down to her shoulder blades. She had started to grow curves in places that hadn't been there before and Takuma had noticed through careful observation that Honami looked to be larger in those places than even his mother. All of this physical growth had been matched in her shinobi skill and prowess. Takuma had never felt so attracted to anything.

"Are you two ready?" Sasuke's voice cut through Takuma and Honami's stare like his chokuto. Takuma looked back at his father and quickly nodded.

"Yes, sir," he replied. Sasuke walked through the door to the Hokage's office and Team Sasuke followed him.

The Hokage's office was busy as it had been for the last year since Yashin had invaded. Clones rushed around, filling out papers and looking over documents. The real Naruto sat at his desk, perking up when he saw Team Sasuke entering. The three genin stepped forward with Takuma in the center, Shōgo and Honami flanking, and Sasuke in the back. The elder Uchiha stood with his arms folded.

"Naruto," he said. "You have a mission for us?" Takuma sometimes flinched inwardly when he heard his father speak to the Hokage. Takuma had been raised to respect those above and it was a bit odd that Sasuke didn't practice the same thing. He was one of the only people who ever referred to him by his name and not his title, though the two had such a close friendship, the Hokage didn't seem to take it as disrespect.

The blonde Hokage nodded. "Yes, I do. From what the records show, your team hasn't yet had a mission above D-Rank." Naruto stood. "So here's what I have. A representative from the Land of Water is coming to Konoha to meet with me. Your mission is to get to the eastern border quickly and then escort the representative back. Hopefully, there won't be any hiccups along the way." The Hokage smiled. "This a B-rank assignment. You guys think you're up to it?" he asked.

"Hell yeah!" Shōgo exclaimed before freezing and then lowering his balled fist. "S-sorry..." Takuma glanced over at his friend and shook his head while Honami giggled. Narutp grinned and looked up at behind Takuma at Sasuke. The young Uchiha could scarcely hear his father breathe.

"We'll handle it," Sasuke replied coolly. Naruto nodded.

"Good, then head on out."

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><p>Sosei stopped beside Komuj as the silver haired shinobi glanced around. His eyes went to Noboru and he motioned signals that the team had practiced. Right now, from what Sosei could see, Komuji was telling the Hyūga to count the number of enemies presently around them. Team Hae had traveled far into the center of enemy territory and had thus far met little resistant, however Sosei suspected that that would change. He felt an eerie presence as he descended deeper and deeper into the trees.<p>

"There are twenty shinobi," Noboru said, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "They're spread out amongst the trees." Komuji nodded and paused to examine the situation. Sosei waited, all the while scanning the area with his Sharingan. Even if Sosei's team did have a Hyūga clansman with virtually 360 degrees of vision present, the young Uchiha didn't want to leave anything to chance.

"We'll split off. Noboru and I will attack the shinobi gathered to the west. Sosei, you and Suzume handle the east," Komuji said. Sosei avoided frowning, though he felt his chakra grow cold. He was stuck with Suzume now. Before he could turn to see Suzume's irritating face, Komuji spoke again. "Be extremely careful. Agato is reported to have a high proficiency for taijutsu techniques. One hit may destroy your bone structure."

Sosei nodded. If that meant that he'd have to take out Agato quickly and before the so-called "Troll" could react, he had the perfect technique in mind. As long as Suzume didn't get in his way with her antics. With a quick dip of his head, Sosei leapt away with Suzume following close behind him. Ascending upwards into the canopy, Sosei only stopped when he thought he heard a sound. Beside him, Suzume paused as well.

"We're being followed," she whispered. So, the enemy had surrounded them? Sosei sensed a surge of chakra, one which Suzume picked up on as well. Before the tree they had climbed began to fall, the two ANBU leapt from its branches as the plant collapsed to the ground. As they fell, they were in the air by nine shinobi, all with scratches on their Kiri headbands.

The last of Yashin's followers.

Six shinobi rebounded off a tree trunk and rushed towards Sosei while the remaining three circled Suzume. Sosei's Sharingan read through the first four shinobi that attacked him and he elegantly dodged them all in mid-air, deflecting their attacks and throwing them away from him. The last two attacked from Sosei's front and back simultaneously.

The young Uchiha had barely milliseconds to react which was all he needed to discharge enough chakra to use a substitution. The two former Kiri shinobi locked their swords into Sosei's replacement and the young Uchiha quickly seized his opportunity.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" he shouted as a massive fireball burnt through the canopy towards his enemies. Sosei's attack was loud, hot and bright. There was no need to be secretive now.

One former Kiri shinobi left his sword in the log and escaped while his comrade refused, instead choosing a fiery death. His blood-curdling screams rang out in the forest and Sosei paused. Suzume leapt up next to him and let out a single small breath, before turning to Sosei and smiling lightly.

"You only took care of one?" the girl said. Sosei shot her a sharp glance.

"If you want, you can handle the fodder. I'm going after Agato, wherever he is. If he dies, they'll either scatter or submit," Sosei said. Suzume kept her mouth closed for once and Sosei left the remaining members of Yashin's group to her. He heard one man yell for his comrades to chase him, but he was quickly silenced. Sosei turned and saw that Suzume stood on the branch that Sosei had just previously launched himself from, twirling two ninjato blades in her hands. The young Uchiha could almost see her chakra surge.

She'd be fine without him.

Sosei lowered himself to the ground, cushioning his landing with a small chakra release from his feet. He heard the clanging of blades in the canopies above him. They weren't any battle cries or shouts. This was silent, shadow warfare. The scarlet pinwheels in his eyes scanned the clearing, looking for any sign of his enemy. His peripheral vision caught a massive object flying towards his face and Sosei ducked backwards to avoid it and drew a kunai from his pouch. The Uchiha jabbed his blade forward only for his kunai to break at the tip. The massive object stopped suddenly and Sosei made out a giant man with dark chakra engulfing his fists. Sosei narrowed his eyes.

"Agato," Sosei said. Standing well over seven feet tall, Agato was a massive man. His muscles bulged underneath his black shirt and his nostrils flared as he looked down on Sosei. The Uchiha felt small.

"Agato of the Dark Fist, you little bitch…" Agato growled as he finally seemed to see the Sharingan in Sosei's eyes. His left fist crashed down towards Sosei and the young shinobi flipped away. Agato seethed. "You goddamned Uchiha really are a fucking virus," he said as he brought his fists together. "I will complete Yashin's work and help your clan die out!"

Sosei scoffed. Yet another Uchiha despiser. They never seemed to end. In the entire history of the Uchiha, they had always been feared but in more recent times, people had become bold enough to proclaim that they hated his clan. Fools.

Agato ran forward, faster than Sosei had expected but still too slow. Sosei had enough time to weave together hand seals for a quick diversionary jutsu.

"_Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu_!" Sosei shouted as multiple miniature fire balls burst from his mouth and spread out in the sky. As the flames landed and the smoke built up, Sosei took the opportunity to weave more hand seals. It had taken him the last few months to perfect the technique.

_Ox._

_Rabbit._

_Monkey._

Agato burst through the smoke with anger plastered on his face and his hands covered in black chakra. His snarl deepened on his face and his eyes widened as he began to speak. "I will destroy you, Uchiha! I will kill you! I will shove my fists straight up you—agh!"

The blue-white spark of lightning had formed in Sosei's hand, the Chidori. Sosei's Sharingan spun as it honed in on Agato's large body as he spat his insults and rhetoric. Sosei had heard enough. He rushed forward as the Chidori cried in his left hand. Agato was a tall opponent so Sosei left his feet as he prepared to drive the attack directly into the largest and most open part of Agato's body—his mouth.

Sosei's hand burst through the back of Agato's head. The Dark Fist gagged and Sosei's Sharingan bore into his eyes. "You'll never speak of the Uchiha again," he said. Lightning sparked in his hand again and he ripped his hand to the side, splitting Agato's head open. The massive man fell to the ground, lifeless with his brains spilling out of his mouth.

The young Uchiha shook his hand clean of Agato's blood and listened for the sounds of his comrades. Everything was silent until he heard the cheer of Suzume. With a small sigh, Sosei recognized that he and his team had achieved victory. Sosei prepared to go meet with his teammates and get debriefed by Komuji. But something didn't feel right. Was this the only one of Yashin's remaining high ranked officers? Agato hadn't been much of a challenge at all and he was far too stupid to be of any use to a man like Yashin. Sosei scowled. If this was a trick then where the hell were the real captains?

* * *

><p>Takuma's heart fluttered and pounded in his chest. His legs ached and he felt like he was reaching his physical. Since they left Konoha, Sasuke had been pushing their pace like a madman.<p>

"If you can't keep up with me, you don't deserve to be on this mission," Takuma's father had said in his normal, icy tone. It had been made clear to the genin that they were to reach the shore before the Water Daimyō's representative. When he was intended to arrive was the question but none of the genin ever asked. They just followed Sasuke.

As the team moved closer towards the sea, the forests grew thinner and began to open up to grasslands. Without the trees as cover, Team Sasuke reverted to sprinting. Once again, Sasuke easily outpaced his squad and didn't slow his pace for a second to allow them to catch their breath. Takuma and Honami were holding their own, but Shōgo was gasping for breath.

"We should stop," Honami said to Takuma. The Uchiha glanced over at his teammate and then to Shōgo. His friend was sweating profusely and looked to be getting weak. He wondered if he had even eaten in the morning. Takuma's emerald eyes then flashed forward to Sasuke's shrinking figure. If his father was taking the charge, he'd know if anything of concern was nearby. Besides, if Shōgo was incapacitated, it put the mission in jeopardy.

"Yeah, let's do that," Takuma said as he stopped. Honami stopped beside him and her fingers brushed his arm. When Takuma turned to face her, she looked away towards Shōgo who jogged slowly until he reached. The orange haired boy inhaled deeply and put his hands on his knees.

"For the love of fuh...why'd Sensei go so fast ahead of us? He left us in his dust," Shōgo said as he collapsed to the ground.

"He may be pushing forward to search the area. Any threats won't stand a chance against him," Takuma said. Honami nodded.

"His reputation does precede him..." she said. Shōgo narrowed his eyes as his stared into the sky.

"You think anybody that was going to attack the Water Daimyō's representative would expose themselves to Sasuke sensei?" the boy asked. Takuma frowned. As usual, Shōgo had a point. What person in their right mind would attack Sasuke Uchiha?

"Then, do you think that it's a ploy? Or a trap?" Takuma asked. As soon as the words left his mouth, Honami closed her eyes and then burst them open. The Byakugan formed in her eyes and she paused as she took in every sight. Takuma watched her in silent awe.

"This plain is too large. I can't see across the entire area, only up to 300 meters. This plain expands for at least a couple of miles. And we're exposed so, we need to move and find sensei whenever you're ready, Shōgo," Honami said. Shōgo nodded and then exhaled as he rose to his feet. As he did, Takuma saw Honami tense up and turn her head.

"What's wrong?" Takuma asked. The red-haired girl frowned.

"There's three shinobi coming towards us. And fast," she said. Shōgo gulped.

"Are any of them Sasuke sensei?" he asked. Honami shook her head.

"No." Takuma exhaled sharply. So his thoughts had been correct. Someone had been hiding amongst the tall grass and trees and now those shinobi were moving in on them. Takuma's hands went down to his kunai pouch and he draw two into his hands.

"I can see them now," Honami said. "They're starting to spread out into a formation. Two are flanking from the sides. They've seen us too." Takuma looked over at Shōgo. With a single nod and a blink, Takuma knew what Shōgo had planned. Takuma was glad he had practiced spouting out fire balls.

The hand seals came to him quickly and he sucked in air as chakra burned in his chest. "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" Takuma said as a fireball exited his mouth and hit the grass, spreading quickly over the dried plain. As the orange flames scorched the earth, Takuma saw a shadow leap above them. A sword appeared in its hand and Takuma grit his teeth. Shōgo and Honami closed in around him, creating a tight, three-point formation. Two more shadows appeared from the flames and they circled the three genin. Takuma couldn't make out any kind of village paraphernalia on them. Not a headband or an emblem.

They were rogues.

"Hmph...they're Konoha shinobi," a shadow to the right said, folding his arms. His glowing yellow eyes frightened Takuma.

Another shadow, the one with the sword, came closer, revealing his features. He had medium length black hair and cold light blue eyes that shifted quickly from Honami to Takuma. A small smirk crossed his face. "Half breed Hyūga and a half breed Uchiha from the symbol on his back. How interesting," he said. The third shadow scoffed.

"They're just genin. Nothing fucking interesting about them." The blue-eyed man seemed to consider it for a moment before slowly nodding and sighing.

"I suppose you're right," he replied. "If three genin are out in the middle of a field then I'd wager that their master isn't too much farther off. But, leaving his students exposed is so careless. I despise carelessness. How about-" the man said as his eyes bore into Takuma's. "We show the shepherd why it's ill advised to leave your sheep unguarded when wolves are prowling?" Takuma gasped as the three shinobi began to descend down on he and his team. The young Uchiha heard Shōgo shout.

"Honami, now!" he said. The red-haired daughter of the Hokage began to rotate quickly, chakra leaving every part of her body as she created a wide, defensive dome around Takuma and Shōgo. The pressure and wind ripped around the boys while they were inside, but they still made enough eye contact to know what the next plan of action was. Takuma could only hope that his father had seen the smoke his jutsu had left.

Takuma began to prepare hand seals as Honami stopped spinning. His vision cleared and he could see that the three rogue shinobi had cleared away. That is until they rushed back into his line of sight. The young Uchiha took in a massive breath and then let loose.

"_Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu_!" the boy shouted as fire spheres burst from his mouth as he turned his head. The most they were meant to be were loud, fiery distractions. Something to draw more attention to where they were. Where was his father?!

The blue eyed shadow came forward first, a sadistic smile plastered on his face as he came to Takuma. The foul mouthed female shadow attacked Shōgo and the third stout male shadow attacked Honami. The blue eyed shadow's sword swung at Takuma's head and he brought up his kunai to block the strike. There was more power behind the seemingly halfhearted swing than the young Uchiha had anticipated and he felt his arm fall to his side. Takuma prepared for the blue eyed shadow to strike him with the sword again but instead, the Uchiha met the shadow's fist.

Takuma slid across the ground, kicking up dust as he rolled. The blue eyed shadow burst through the smoke and met Takuma with a knee to his stomach. The young Uchiha coughed and fell to his knees and felt the cool steel of the shadow's sword on his neck. Green eyes met blue as the young Uchiha looked up at the shadow. Blue eyes narrowed.

"Hm...where are they?" the shadow asked. Takuma stared up, perplexed before the shadow continued. "Your Sharingan eyes? Unless...you don't have them." Takuma frowned and the shadow shook his head and sighed. "She was right." The shadow raised his sword. "You aren't interesting at all." The young Uchiha's eyes watched as Shōgo dodged to the side of the female shadow's attacks, throwing explosive tags to create distance between them. His green eyes then flashed over to Honami, who appeared to be holding her own against the stocky shadow. Until, he got one hit on her.

Takuma's eyes widened as Honami's body crumbled to the ground and the shadow raised another hand to hit her again. His teeth bore and he felt something in his head pound. "Honami!" he yelled as he stared up at the blue eyed shadow. Instinct overtook Takuma and without a single hand seal, he felt a fireball erupt from his mouth. It was small and barely substantial but it was enough of a smoke screen to distract the blue eyed shadow as he made his way to Honami and the stout shadow.

He didn't make it far. A sharp pain shot through Takuma's thigh and he collapsed to the ground. It was the blue eyed shadow's sword. Takuma groaned as he crawled forward, his blood leaving a trail behind him and the dirt beginning to compact in his wound. He didn't care he had to get to Honami before the stout shinobi...

The stocky shadow drove another hit into Honami's body, this time drawing blood from her. Takuma stared forward, frozen in shock. He couldn't tell if she was dead or alive...but he knew that he felt something in his head surge and his eyes began to hurt. Something warm dripped down Takuma's cheeks. The boy reached his hand to wipe it away but was surprised to find out what it was/ What the young Uchiha thought was watery tears was in fact his own blood. He was bleeding from his eyes.

The pain didn't stop. Honami didn't move. Shōgo didn't stop yelling.

Takuma's world transformed into a vapid, fuscous sea of night and his own blood.


	2. Questions & Answers

**A/N: Been a little bit, but I think I've established a schedule. Still trying to juggle the POV's and the times they take place. Some may be happening simultaneously so take that into consideration. With that being said, please enjoy and leave a review!**

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><p>Kichiro stared out of the window, resting his hands against his cheeks. Children around him talked loudly amongst themselves as they waited for their instructor, Hensou Tomoteki, to arrive. The ten year old Uchiha sighed. Both of his brothers and his father had left for missions before he had even gotten a chance to wish them luck. His mother had explained to he and his sister, Hikari, that shinobi had to leave early on their missions because sometimes they had long distances to travel. Kichiro didn't really believe anything she said. He had seen how fast his father was. He could've waited a few hours to say good bye.<p>

The raven-haired boy slumped in his seat and laid his head back on his chair. When he looked up, his eyes enlarged. A brown haired girl blushed and smiled awkwardly, though she didn't show her teeth. Kichiro stared at her for a few seconds before he collected himself and turned around to face her properly. After quick examination, the young Uchiha realized that he had seen this girl before.

"Hi," Kichiro said with a polite smile. The brown haired girl's cheeks were still rosy red and her purple eyes looked away. She sucked on her bottom lip as her eyes slowly met his.

"H-hi," she replied. Kichiro rested his head on the girl's desk and looked into her eyes. Something about them was oddly alluring. He had never seen anyone with purple eyes before. The girl looked away again and Kichiro blinked. She seemed a little nervous. Maybe he should introduce himself.

"My name's Kichiro Uchiha. What's yours?" the Uchiha said. The girl gulped and sighed softly.

"My name is Setsuka..." The brown haired girl looked away and then back at Kichiro. The young Uchiha watched her wandering eyes.

"Have I seen you before or are you new?" Kichiro asked. Setsuka twiddled her thumbs.

"We've...met before. I know your daddy," she replied. Kichiro smiled.

"Oh, you do? How?" the boy asked. Setsuka's eyes met Kichiro's again and the two children looked at each other. Setsuka finally breathed in a little bit and spoke again.

"The Hokage. He's my adopted dad," she replied. Kichiro blinked and then his mouth opened. He _had _seen this girl before! She had been with his godfather all this time and he hadn't noticed her? The young Uchiha suddenly felt a strong pang of guilt that he struggled to gulp down. Maybe she had just been extremely quiet like she was now, but for him not to even speak to her? Unacceptable. His mother would hang him for his horrible manners. He'd have to make it up to this girl.

_Setsuka_. It was a pretty name.

As Kichiro looked up at his classmate, he could see that she was pretty as well with her purple eyes. He smiled at her and the purple eyed girl blushed again.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Kichiro asked with a bright face. Setsuka's face was illuminated and Kichiro saw that his question made her happy.

"Yes, I-"

"You don't wanna be friends with an Uchiha," a voice said from the ranks of seats above. Kichiro's eyes and ears tracked the sound to the top of the wooden bleachers. A boy with medium length black hair that dropped to his shoulders gazed upon Kichiro and Setsuka with disdain. His white headband kept his hair from completely covering his eyes, though a bang hung in between them. Kichiro's smiling face turned into an irritated frown.

It was Kataki.

Kataki Egawaru was the top of Kichiro's class, soundly beating the Uchiha's scores after every test. His successes academically had caused the boy to become arrogant and mean-spirited. It didn't help that all the other kids in Kichiro's class essentially idolized Kataki. Even some of the Academy instructors thought that Kataki had the potential to be the next generational genius to come out of Konoha. Kichiro thought otherwise. If there was to be a generational genius among shinobi, it would be his brother, Takuma.

"Why not?" Setsuka responded, breaking the awkward silence that had permeated throughout the room. Kichiro heard Kataki let out a contemptuous guffaw.

"Don't be an idiot, girl! Don't you know that the Uchiha are some of the dirtiest traitors in the history of the shinobi world?" he said as he glared down at Kichiro and smiled. "Just ask Shitchiro's father." Kichiro Uchiha rose from his seat and balled up his fist. Before Setsuka could even try to stop him, the Uchiha had bounded up the bleachers and into Kataki's face. The arrogant boy smirked as Kichiro raised his fist. The Uchiha didn't know why, but soon, he would.

"Kichiro Uchiha! What are you doing?!" a voice boomed from the front of the classroom. Hensou Sensei had returned to the classroom. Kataki's smug face was essentially _pleading _for Kichiro to punch it. How dare he speak about his father and his clan that way? Traitors? His father had saved the village two years ago. He had saved the world years before Kichiro was even a thought in his parents' minds. How could Kataki be so ignorant? The Uchiha child stared Kataki down until he could feel the eyes of the instructor burning into the back of his head. The young boy turned around and sat in the seat next to Setsuka. The rest of the classroom was silent as Hensou Sensei looked around.

As he had been taught by his mother, Kichiro stood up and bowed his head. "I apologize for my disruption, Sensei. It won't happen again," Kichiro said. He could feel his pride, the flame of the Uchiha, creeping back down his throat. Hensou raised his hand in acknowledgment of the apology then folded his arms. Hensou's warm face looked from Kichiro then to Kataki. The green eyed man blinked.

"Today is Friday. We've covered all of the book material that we needed to this week. So, we will have sparring sessions amongst peers. Everyone, let's head out to the yard!" Hensou Sensei said. Kichiro sighed softly as the rest of the class gathered their things and began to head out. His eyes caught Kataki and his crew of boys as they walked past his bleacher. Kichiro thought he heard them snicker something under their breaths but he said nothing. When he looked to his right, Setsuka was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Do you...want me to wait for you?" the girl asked.

"No," Hensou Sensei's voice traveled from the front of the room, cutting off Kichiro's empty attempt to answer. "You go ahead. I need to talk to Kichiro." Setsuka slowly nodded to the man and exited the row with Kichiro then passed him as they went to the front of the classroom. Setsuka's purple eyes gazed back at Kichiro and before the Uchiha knew it, the girl was gone. Kichiro's black eyes looked up to Hensou and he saw his sensei shake his head. "Kichiro..." he said.

"I know. I shouldn't have gotten in Kataki's face or tried to hit him." The young Uchiha wrinkled his brow. "But he insulted my clan and my father! I won't take that from him or anyone else." Hensou looked down at Kichiro and nodded.

"I understand, Kichiro. But if you are to become a shinobi, you cannot let emotion cloud your senses. What if you are negotiating with an enemy over a peace treaty and they insult you? Would you let your pride rule and risk destroying your entire country or control yourself and work through it? Those are questions you must ask. Shinobi are secret holders. Even your emotions, sometimes, must remain secret." Hensou smiled at Kichiro. It was warm, friendly and inviting as it had always been. Kichiro had only seen such an inviting smile on the face of his godfather, Naruto. His father had never smiled this way. At least not to him.

"Okay," Kichiro said. "I'll try to do better. But under one condition..." Hensou raised an eyebrow and Kichiro grinned. "Let me spar against Kataki." Hensou chuckled and placed his hand on Kichiro's head.

"That was already the intention. Now, come on." Kichiro nodded and followed Hensou outside to the yard. An opening clearing where the trees near the Academy building parted, the yard had a single dirt patch where generations of shinobi before Kichiro had sparred. He had heard stories of how his godfather and father had fought here before with Sasuke Uchiha consistently defeating the Hokage when they were children. Kichiro was determined to keep that tradition going. He was Uchiha after all.

"Are you in trouble?" Setsuka whispered. Kichiro turned to her and smiled.

"Nope," he replied. "Just wait. You'll see." The two Academy students looked forward as Hensou stood in front of the class and began to speak.

"As you all know, traditional sparring matches are tests of your skill and resolve. When you step forward, you must make the Seal of Confrontation and once the person who hits the ground first rises back to his feet, you must make the Seal of Reconciliation. Are we understood?" Hensou said. When the class nodded, Hensou folded his arms. "Will the first combatants please step forward...Kichiro Uchiha and Kataki Egawaru."

Kichiro turned to Setsuka and the brown-haired girl bit her lip. "G-good luck," she said. Kichiro grinned.

"Thanks," he said. With a swift exhale, Kichiro stepped forward into the dirt square where Kataki and Hensou stood. Kataki flexed and rotated his wrist, smirking the entire time as Kichiro stepped forward. The young Uchiha slowly brought his fingers up to form the Seal of Confrontation and Kataki mirrored him. Hensou raised his hand and brought it down quickly.

"Begin."

Kataki shot forward like a rocket and Kichiro was forced into the defensive, backing away as Kataki pressed him with quick and powerful punches and kicks. It was in these moments that Kichiro realized one thing for certain. He was rusty. Since his father and older brothers had been on constant missions around the clock, no one had taken the time out to spar with him. His mother worked at the Konoha Hospital or handled Hikari while Kichiro was left alone. Everything about his fighting mechanics was off. His reaction time was poor. Though he managed to block Kataki's blows, he couldn't react fast enough to counter. If his father were to witness his performance now, Kichiro couldn't even imagine the punishment he'd receive.

Kichiro was backpedaling now, circling Kataki as he continued to strike out at him. The young Uchiha shot out an exhale and waited for Kataki to leave his feet again. He couldn't lose now. Not after the way Kataki had disrespected his father and his people. With a single burst of chakra from his feet, Kichiro propelled forward and swung a fist at Kataki. Kataki's forward momentum drove the boy directly into contact with Kichiro's knuckles.

Kataki staggered, but he didn't fall.

Instead, Kataki struck out with his own punch. The power behind it shook Kichiro to his knees and awakened something in his stomach. Kataki stared at Kichiro in shock as the young Uchiha smirked and wiped the blood that trickled from his mouth. Kataki then shook his head and frowned. The arrogant boy rushed forward again and dropped his shoulder at the last second, catching Kichiro off guard. The breath left the Uchiha's body and in the brief moment that he was stunned, Kataki swept Kichiro's legs from underneath him. The Uchiha fell to the ground and before he could even attempt to stop himself, Kataki was over him with his fist to Kichiro's nose.

"You're done," the boy said. Hensou stepped forward and placed his arm in between them. Kichiro closed his eyes and squeezed them. What had happened to him? Had Takuma ever been beaten this badly at his age? Had Sosei? Had his father? His uncle Itachi was a _chunin_ when he was ten. His ancestors would be ashamed of him.

"Combatants, perform the Seal of Reconciliation." Kichiro looked up at Hensou and then at Kataki. The boy cracked his knuckles and reached out his hand. His fingers curled in the seal and he stood waiting for Kichiro. The young Uchiha boy frowned. He didn't want to perform the stupid seal. There was no point in feigning reconciliation. Kichiro didn't anything that Kataki had said though, for honor's sake, he felt that he had to.

Sighing, the youngest of Sasuke's sons stepped forward and curled his index and middle finger to perform the seal. Kataki stared into Kichiro's eyes as they performed the Seal, his eyes spitting venomous jeers at the Uchiha. With a frown, Kichiro quickly pulled his fingers away and stalked away, pushing through the crowd of children that surrounded the dirt square. He thought he heard Setsuka's soft voice call out to him, but he ignored it. As far as Kichiro was concerned, class was over for him.

Hensou Sensei made no attempt to get after the Uchiha boy and Kichiro smirked as he bounded down the streets away from the yard. Leaping, Kichiro climbed the side of a building and flipped onto the roof. The Uchiha took in a breath of fresh air and smiled. He hated school. Nothing he did ever seemed to impress his father or his brothers. While his mother often offered him encouragement, rarely did she spend quality time with him. Her focus was always on either Hikari or hospital work.

Kichiro sighed as he sat down on the roof and looked over the entire village of Konoha. Up here, Kichiro could see everything. People hustled and bustling downtown, merchants taking their carts through the streets and civilian children playing games in alleys. The Uchiha child almost jumped to his feet to head down and play with them but he held back. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to be bothered. He would feel elite beating civilian kids his age but that euphoria would be short-lived.

The Uchiha child leaned against the side of another building, shielded from the sun by a billboard sign advertising the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Kichiro yawned and closed his eyes as he rested his his hands behind his head. Within a few minutes, the Uchiha boy was asleep and dreaming.

In his dreams, Kichiro stood on mountaintops, favored under the Sharingan eyes of his father. He ran and played with his older brothers, finishing missions of the highest rank and fighting powerful enemies that threatened his home. He and his brothers were equals, in fact, all of his siblings were equal, Hikari included. In Kichiro's dream, she was a kunoichi stronger and faster than their mother, with healing jutsu that activated automatically and consumed very little chakra. Grandiose and perfect, Kichiro's dreams kept him bound in his sleep until his biological clock suddenly jostled him from his rest.

When Kichiro came to, he was shocked to see that the sun was beginning to set. If he didn't get home soon, his parents would begin to worry. That is, if they hadn't already went to his school only to hear from Hensou that he had ditched class after being defeated in a sparring match. He didn't know which story his father would dislike hearing more.

The young Uchiha leapt to the streets below and made his way home. Kichiro weaved through the crowded streets of Konoha and raced to the outskirts of town where his family estate was. As he came down the path, Kichiro noticed that none of the lights were on inside or outside of the house. Nobody had been home since he, his mother and sister had left. Kichiro slowed his pace as he made it to his porch and pulled his key from his pocket as he unlocked the front door.

Light stretched forward, splitting the darkness in twain. Silence permeated throughout the entire living room and Kichiro stood in the middle of it after he closed the door.

"Mom? Daddy?" he called. There was no answer. "Sosei? Takuma?" There was no answer. Kichiro sighed softly and walked to his room and laid down on his bed. Nobody was home. Nobody bothered to leave him a note or even look for him. Kichiro didn't know what was going on with his family. Why weren't they home? Kichiro sighed and turned in his bed towards the wall. Here he was, once again, living the same feeling that he felt.

**Loneliness.**

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><p>Lights flashed.<p>

Voices echoed.

Images raced across his line of sight.

Pain shot through his entire body, never ending even when he blinked his eyes.

What the hell was this?

Takuma laid in his hospital bed. Machines and monitors stood around him like mechanical guardians. The beeps of the devices echoed in the dead silence of his room. Thoughts of Honami rushed into his mind, images of seeing her fallen replaying in his mind. Takuma silently pleaded that everyone on his team had made it out ok.

The boy winced. His head still pounded. It hurt him to even blink. He could barely move. What was happening to him?

The Uchiha had felt so close. He had grasped power but it had been a gaseous illusion between his fingers. He could feel the chakra surging in hs head to his eyes right before the pain began. He didn't know what the flow had been but instinct told him that it was the Sharingan. All of his life, he had dreamt of the day that he'd obtain the same eyes as his father and the Uchiha that had come before him. But now, he had nothing at all besides a headache and bleeding eyes.

What did it mean? Could it mean that he had in fact awakened the Sharingan? Takuma had never heard or read of any instances where awakening the dojutsu caused bleeding. There had been numerous causes of Uchiha overexerting themselves to the point that their eyes bled and they eventually lost their sight. Was Takuma the first recorded case of bleeding whilst awakening? Part of the boy hoped that was the case but within him, he knew that it was not.

Moving his eyes hurt more than blinking, but when Takuma caught sight of movement from his peripheral, he looked towards it. Outside of his room, his parents and a doctor stood. The doctor was a male with black hair and pale eyes like Honami's. A Hyūga. Takuma watched as the three conversed and tried his hardest to listen or read their lips. The strain hurt him and instead, he simply watched their body language.

As the doctor talked, Takuma saw his mother's hand come to her mouth while his father's arm went to her side. The pink haired kunoichi turned towards Takuma's father and buried her face into his chest. Takuma had never been very good at reading his father's face or his emotions, but for once in his life, Takuma could clearly tell that his father was upset. Not angry. But saddened. The last time Takuma could remember seeing his father look this way was when he was very young and his mother had said something about the Hokage and his wife losing "their Precious".

Whatever news they had just received was horrible and Takuma knew without a doubt that it was about him.

Takuma's parents continued speaking with the doctor briefly before they all turned and headed towards his room door. As the wooden doorway opened, Takuma's eyes met his parents' and he felt his mouth curl into a smile. A weak one but a smile nonetheless. Takuma's mother looked as if she was going to burst into tears while his father looked more sullen than Takuma had ever seen him. The Hyūga doctor approached the boy and smiled softly.

"Hello, Takuma. My name is Dr. Hakase Hyūga," the man said. "How are you feeling?" Takuma blinked then winced.

"Not too good. Everything really hurts, especially my head," the young Uchiha replied. Dr. Hakase nodded.

"Ok," he said before sighing. "Well, Takuma. I have some news for you." Takuma gulped.

"Is my team ok? Did Shōgo and Honami make it?" Takuma asked looking from the doctor to his father. Sasuke Uchiha nodded slightly. That was enough to sate Takuma. Dr. Hakase nodded.

"Your team is fine. Shōgo Kazuma got a few scratches and bruises and young Lady Honami was paralyzed from the attacks she suffered, but everyone is up and walking now." Takuma breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Everyone had survived their first real mission. "Are you ready for the news concerning you?" Dr. Hakase asked. Takuma slowly shook his head.

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Hakase paused and exhaled. "During our examination when your father brought you in, we healed a number of injuries and to make there wasn't any further internal damage, I used the Byakugan to scan over your body. Wwe were particularly worried about head injuries because you appeared to be bleeding from your eyes. What I found was that you have a massive blockage of chakra in your occipital lobe, the part of your brain that deals directly with your eyes. For Uchiha, this is also the part of the brain where the chakra that activates your Sharingan is located.

Because of the blockage, when your Sharingan was getting ready to release, too much pressure built in that part of your brain and an artery in your brain began to leak from your eyes. As a person, you shouldn't be too affected by it. You may have a few headaches every now and then but they should subside in a few hours. However, as a shinobi, you have to be extremely careful that you don't try to activate the Sharingan."

"W-why not?" Takuma asked softly, the shock of the news hitting him in the chest. Dr. Hakase's pale eyes stared into Takuma's.

"Because the next time you attempt to activate your Sharingan, you may suffer from a brain aneurysm, have a cerebral hemorrhage and die within minutes," Dr. Hakase said. When Takuma gawked, the Hyūga clansman proceeded. "I know that I'm being rather blunt, but I want you to know how serious your condition is. This is life or death," the Hyūga man said as he looked down at Takuma.

The young Uchiha's eyes went to the wall as he tried desperately to process what he had just heard. He could never awaken the Sharingan and if he did manage to do so, he'd die within minutes? That was it? He'd never have the same eyes as his father? He'd never copy ninjutsu, anticipate the movements of his opponents and improve his strength? His hopes were dashed. Without a Sharingan, he'd never be worthy of being his father's heir.

He wasn't even worthy of being Sasuke Uchiha's son.

That thought alone brought tears to Takuma's eyes and he shut them as both the physical and emotional pain began to tear into him.

"I'm a failure! A diseased, broken failure!" Takuma sobbed. He repeated it again and again. He sensed his parents move closer to him and he felt his mother softly hushing his cries like he was a baby again. His father's powerful hands laid gently on his forehead and Takuma could feel a calm come over him.

"Everything will be ok, love," his mother cooed as she often did when he was younger. Takuma's father stood next to his mother and rubbed the boy's head. His father then spoke with a voice warmer than Takuma had ever heard him speak with.

"You are not a failure," Sasuke said. "You are my son and nothing changes that, not this or anything else. Do you understand me?" Takuma looked up and saw something odd on his father's face. A gentle smile. "Go to sleep," Sasuke said. The calming sensation on Takuma's forehead slowly caused him to feel drowsy. He blinked up again to see if his father was actually still smiling and he was. For Takuma, seeing that was worth the pain of looking up.

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><p>"How much further is it? My feet are swollen!" Sosei turned to Komuji and the silver haired man glanced back to the Water Daimyō's blue garbed emissary.<p>

"We'll be there soon. The gate is just up ahead," he replied. The emissary sighed loudly and fixed his clothes. Sosei Uchiha groaned inwardly and closed his eyes to reserve his emotions. After eliminating Yashin's rebels, Sosei and the rest of Team Hae made a sweep through the forest before they tried to return home. Instead of doing that, they spotted Sosei's father, Sasuke Uchiha in the middle of plains with all three of his genin down and unconscious, including Sosei's younger brother, Takuma.

"I need to take them back to the village immediately. Can someone from your team wait for the Water Daimyō's messenger to arrive?" Sasuke had asked. Noboru and Suzume had taken the red haired daughter of the Hokage and the orange and blue clad boy along with Sasuke while Komuji and Sosei had waited for the messenger. The sniveling, whiny bastard hadn't stopped complaining the entire journey back.

Two things plagued Sosei's mind and as he thought on them, he realized that they might've started to connect. After fighting and easily killing Agato and the shinobi that followed him, Sosei pondered on how such a weak man could be of any use to Yashin. Sosei hated Yashin. Even in death, the pain that the masked man had inflicted on Sosei's life had left him sleepless or screaming from nightmares. But Sosei could not deny that the man had been a man with purpose and did not seem to be a man who would surround himself with weak trash.

Then, there was the fact that his younger brother and his entire team had been taken out and that their assailants had miraculously escaped his father's sights and grasps. For both Team Hae and Sasuke Uchiha to not detect them, Sosei suspected that they had to be powerful and especially stealthy shinobi. Yashin had managed to sneak an entire army into Konoha without setting off a single alarm so Sosei was barely surprised his subordinates had given his father the slip.

What worried Sosei the most was the identities of these shinobi and why they had attacked his brother's team. None of the genin seemed to be fatally wounded although the Hokage's daughter seemed to be paralyzed and Takuma unconscious and bleeding from his eyes. The attack couldn't have been premeditated or else the genin would've been killed. Maybe, the assault was on a simple whim and when they suspected that Sasuke was returning, they didn't stop to finish the job.

Whoever the shinobi were that had done his brother harm, Sosei would see to it that they were found. Not alone had they wronged his family, but they may be the captains that the Hokage had sent Team Hae to kill in the first place. Their mission was still incomplete.

Konoha's gates appeared over the hill and the Water emissary let out a sigh of relief.

"Praise the gods above. We're here," he said. Sosei shot Komuji an annoyed glance and the Hatake man chuckled softly. As they approached the gate, Rock Lee leapt from the lookout tower down to the ground.

"Greetings, travelers!" the man said excitedly. He quickly looked over them, gazing into the eye holes of their porcelain masks. Sosei flashed his Sharingan as Lee looked into his eyes and the man backed away quickly with a startled look on his face. "Very well. Proceed," he said. Sosei pushed past while Komuji raised his hand.

"See you later, Lee," he replied. Walking with the Water Emissary wore down on Sosei's patience. All the Uchiha wanted to do was see the Hokage for his debriefing and go observe the damage done to his brother, as well as ask his father how the hell he allowed enemies to slip past him. That was sure to make for an exhilarating conversation.

Sosei walked with Komuji as the two of them escorted the Water Emissary. The royal messenger expressed his "oohs" and "aahs" at Konoha's architectural advancements since his last visit, a detail Sosei didn't bother to try to listen to. Komuji, on the other hand, entertained the Emissary's chatter with casual conversation in his laziest voice. Sosei was amazed at his captain's patience. He admired it. But it didn't stop him from being annoyed.

The chatter droned in Sosei's head until the three of them made it to the Academy building. Sosei half expected to see Kichiro playing in the yard with his classmates, but the distinctive spiky black hair of his brother never caught Sosei's eye. However, someone else did.

"Sosei! Sosei!" a quiet voice squealed from the yard. Sosei saw a brown-haired girl scamper across the grass towards him. Her large purple eyes looked up at him and two of her sharp teeth protruded from her mouth. The Uchiha chuckled softly at the girl and poked her forehead as she closed in on him.

"Joji," Sosei said affectionately, though in a level, calm tone that normally his father would adopt. Regardless, the little brown-haired girl, whose real name was Setsuka, responded with a higher level of affection. She grabbed Sosei by his waist and smiled up at him.

"I missed you, _niisan_. Where'd you go this time? Why haven't you come to visit me?" she asked. Sosei patted her head and gave her a small smile.

"Where I went is confidential. A secret that you don't have to worry about. And, I'll take you out for ramen or something tomorrow after your classes," Sosei said. Setsuka nodded.

"Okay...wait, can I bring a friend with me?" Sosei raised an eyebrow and turned to where Komuji and the Water Emissary stood, except they were no longer there. Komuji was gone. Sosei turned back to the girl and sighed.

"You want me to take you out on a date? With who?" At that question, Setsuka twiddled her thumbs and gulped.

"A boy...named Kichiro," she replied. Sosei gawked. Did she really mean...?

"My _brother_?" he asked. Setsuka nodded quickly. Sosei ran his fingers through his black hair and sighed softly. He couldn't begin to explain how screwed it sounded to have his adopted sister going on a date with his half-brother. _What kind of backwater shit... _"Ok, since I haven't been by in a while, I'll take you and Kichiro for some ramen. I'll just have to ask the Hokage and your instructor how you're doing first. Deal?" Sosei asked.

Setsuka grinned, though her lips never parted. Sosei knew why. She shared her father's genes after all. "Ok, _niisan_," she said. Sosei smirked.

"Alright, Joji. Scram," Sosei turned away from the girl and entered the Academy building. He moved quickly. Team Hae and the Hokage were probably upstairs now waiting for him to arrive for the debriefing. The sooner Sosei got that out of the way, the sooner he could go check on his brother and question his father.

Confirming Sosei's suspicions, the Nara clan head, Shikamaru stood outside of the Hokage's office with his arms folded. His face looked as uninterested and bored as it always had been and the man gave Sosei a curt nod.

"They're waiting," he said. Sosei dipped his head.

"Figured."

When Sosei opened the door, he was greeted by the faces of Team Hae. Suzume's annoying smile, Noboru's quiet stare and Komuji's lazy eyes. The Hokage sat at his desk with an uncharacteristically sullen look on his face. Sosei suspected that it had to do with his daughter. The blonde man's blue eyes shot up to Sosei and nearly stopped the young Uchiha in his tracks with their ferocity. The Hokage's emotions didn't seem to be angled towards him though. He was upset at whoever had done his only child harm.

"Now that you're all here," Naruto said as he sighed. "Talk." Komuji cleared his throat and Sosei listened as he went through the mission details.

"We reached the forest in front of the Emissary's landing and encountered twenty shinobi loyal to Yashin, one of them being a suspected captain in his army. Sosei dispatched him and the rest of the shinobi were handled by Noboru and myself. There were no survivors," Komuji said. Naruto glanced over to Sosei and the Uchiha looked back.

"Are you sure that this captain is dead?" the Hokage asked. Sosei nodded.

"I put a Chidori through his mouth and sliced through the side of his head. The parts of his brains that weren't fried came out of his mouth in a red heap. I'm very sure he's dead," he replied. The Hokage shook his head and then brought his hands down to his desk.

"Then...can someone explain to me how the hell Sasuke's genin team were attacked if you cleared out every single enemy?" he demanded, his voice rising to a volume that startled even Shikamaru. Sosei looked around the office. His teammates were silent, looking at Naruto nervously. Rarely did the Hokage express anger, but the injuries his daughter sustained must've prompted this. When nobody else offered an answer, Sosei inhaled then exhaled.

"What if...they were the captains that you actually sent us to kill?" Sosei asked. Komuji turned to Sosei and the two shinobi exchanged a quick glance. Naruto sat in silence. He must've been fuming. "The man that I killed, Agato...he didn't seem to be a shinobi that Yashin would install in a leadership capacity. He was stupid and arrogant. Yashin was meticulous and secretive," Sosei said.

"So, you're saying that whoever attacked Sasuke's group was Yashin's actual captain?" Shikamaru asked from the corner. Sosei nodded.

"Yes. The group of shinobi we fought wouldn't have given my brother or his team any issues." Naruto sighed sharply and closed his eyes.

"We need to know for sure what happened..." he said as he rubbed his temples. Sosei nodded.

"When I go to see my brother, I'll speak to my father about it," he said. Naruto stood up and walked towards Sosei and the exit to his office.

"No. **_We'll _**speak to him about it."


End file.
